Meccan Dawn: The Life of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad in Mecca

Study the life of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, from his birth to the migration to Medina.

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About This Course

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his parent, his child and all of mankind put together.” In order to love the Prophet fully (peace be upon him), and to embody that love by following his example, we must know who he was.

Ustadh Abdullah Misra will help students fulfill both of these key obligations.

The course begins by introducing students to the Science of the Prophetic Biography (sira). Students will examine the origins of the science, as well as the methodology employed to gather and verify the details of the Prophet’s life and certain modernist approaches to the Seerah.

After preparing themselves by examining the purpose and manners of studying the Prophetic Biography, students will engage in a detailed examination of the Meccan period of the Prophet’s life, concluding with the Migration (hijrah) to Madina. Throughout, students will explore not only what the Prophet did, but also how to apply the lessons of his example more completely in their own lives.

Students will be encouraged to supplement the course lectures and live sessions by reading Martin Ling’s biography, Muhammad.

What You'll Learn

• The inception, development, and science of Prophetic biography (sira)

• Mecca before the birth of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him

• The life of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, from his birth to the flight to Madina

Meet Your Instructor

Ustadh Abdullah (Anik) Misra

"When Islam is studied and put into practise with all of its inward and outward dimensions genuinely represented, the result is a beautiful human being. The ideal Muslim is one upon whom any impartial observer should look and think: this is a beautiful person." -- Abdullah Misra

Ustadh Abdullah Anik Misra came to the study of the sacred sciences after helping others struggle with a need he himself had felt not long before. Born into a Hindu family, Ustadh Abdullah embraced Islam at the age of 18. After his own conversion, he worked with other new Muslims who lacked a strong support network. Their most pressing need, he discovered, was for sound knowledge of their new faith. An opportunity to perform the Pilgrimage (Hajj) inspired him to make the break: he left his career in marketing and became a full-time student of sacred knowledge.

Ustadh Abdullah was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, to a family of North Indian heritage. After graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in Business Administration, he studied Arabic in his spare time with the Toronto Shariah Program. He also pursued his interests in da’wah, supporting new Muslims and personal readings.

He and his wife thereafter left Canada in search of knowledge, studying briefly first in Tarim, Yemen and then in the West Indies. There he also hosted an interactive television show about Islam. This latter experience opened his eyes to the importance of presenting Islam to people in a way that is relevant to their daily lives.

Ustadh Abdullah soon realised that his pursuit had to embrace both outward and inward knowledge. It was in Amman, Jordan that he was able to strike this balance. He completed the Arabic program at the Qasid Institute, where he now works, and continues to pursue both Islamic spirituality and his study of the sacred sciences, which includes subjects such as Jurisprudence (fiqh), the Prophetic Traditions (hadeeth), Islamic Belief (aqidah), Quranic Recitation (tajwid) and the Prophetic Biography (sira). His teachers have included Sh. Faraz Rabbani, Dr. Salah Abu al-Hajj, Sh. Ali Hani, Sh. Ahmad Hasanat, Sh. Ahmad Snobar, Sh. Hamza Bakri, Sh. Ashraf Muneeb, Sh. Abdul Qadir al-'Aani (rahimahu Allah), and Sh. Suleyman Van Ael.